Feel Good Friday - Fences For Fido

August is National Dog Month and we’re going to celebrate by learning about an organization improving the lives of dogs, Fences for Fido.

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the mission of Fences for Fido is “to improve the quality of life for dogs who spend most or all hours confined to a chain.”

Let’s start with why this is a problem. “The Centers for Disease Control and the American Veterinary Medical Association warn that chained dogs are about 3 times more likely to bite and have more behavior problems. It’s also difficult to provide good care to a chained dog because chains catch on obstacles, putting dogs at risk of strangulation and injury, or leaving them unable to reach their food, water, or shelter.”

Fences for Fido is addressing this issue by building fences for families who keep their dogs on chains, tethers, or in small enclosures. They also provide an insulated doghouse for each dog, spay/neuter services and emergency veterinary care when needed. While the average cost for these services is $800, Fences for Fido works with volunteers and provides these resources free of charge. Click this link to request a fence for you or someone else.

In their first year they built 75 fences that enabled dogs to run free in their yards. Now Fences for Fido builds an average of 13 fences a month and estimates they’ve built over 1,500 fences and unchained more than 2,200 dogs across Oregon and Southern Washington. You can read through these testimonials to see how being unchained has improved the lives and happiness of  so many dogs. 

In addition to the work they do in their communities, Fences for Fido supports and mentors new unchaining groups throughout the United States. 

If you’d like to support Fences for Fido and live in Oregon, you can sign up to volunteer your time and fence building skills. The rest of us can make a donation and amplify their work on social media by following Fences for Fido on Facebook or Instagram.